Curtain support



May 10, 1932. R. c. VOGT CURTAIN SUPPORT Filed Nov. 25, 1930 RICHARD C. VOGT ATTORNEYS Patented May 19, 1932 UNITED STATES RICHARD C. VOGT, OF WEST NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY CURTAIN surron'r Application filed November 25, 1930. Serial No. 498,061.

Important objects of the present invention are, to provide an improved curtain support including a curtain rod and rod-supportmg brackets releasably attachable to a; window structure and of generally improved design; to provide such a curtain support which is compact, inconspicuous, and easy to manipulate for the mounting and demounting of the brackets; to provide, in such a curtain support improved means for supporting and anchoring the ends of the curtain rod to the brackets; to provide a curtain support designed for convenient detachable mounting upon either a shiftable sash frame, or HDOII a fixed window frame structure and designed for properly supporting the curtain rod in either of said mountings; to provide an improved curtain rod bracket having resilient gripping means expansible'and contractible for the releasable attachment of the bracket to a window structure, and means to facilitate the manipulation of said gripping means; and to provide, asan article of manufacture, an improved curtain rod bracket designed for releasable attachment to either a horizontal rail or a vertical rail of a window structure and provided with rod-supporting extensions disposed at an angle to each other to render one of said extensions operative when the bracket is mounted upon the horizontal rail and render the other extension operative when the bracket is mounted upon the vertical rail.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the curtain-supporting device mounted upon the top rail of a window sash;

Fig. 2 a detail horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1, upon a larger scale,

0 showing an end of the sash rail and one of the attached rod-supporting brackets in plan;

Fig. 3 a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2';

A Fig. 4 a sectional perspective view showing one of the rod-supporting brackets mounted upon the sash rail;

Fig. 5 a detail sectional view showing the anchorage of one of the curtain rod ends in a supporting bracket ear;

Fig.6 a view similar to Fig. 5 illustrating the margins 1 1 nearest the edge 8 of the plate the removal of the rod end from the bracket ear; a

Fig. 7 a perspective view of an end portion of the curtain rod; and 1 I Fig. 8 a sectional, perspective view showing one of the rod-supporting brackets mounted upon the sash-guiding and retaining strip. p

The curtain support consists broadly of an extensible curtain rod 1 and brackets 2 and 3 for supporting the rod. Each bracket structure includes a main base plate 4: and a slide 5 mounted upon said plate. The plate is formed of a single, elongated sheet metal blank. One longitudinal edge'margin of the plate is bent rearward to form a straight narrow flange 6 and is formed with two hook-like barbs 7 spaced a material distance along said flange. The opposite longitudinal edge 8 of the plate is parallel to said flanged edge and is unflanged and unprovided with barbs. Between said edges the plate is integrally formed with two outwardly struck, parallel, guiding and retaining flanges 9 for the slide 5. These flanges extend across the plate at right angles to the longitudinal edges and are located near one end of the plate. At its opposite end the plate is formed with a curtain rod supporting ear 10 bent outward at a right angle to the body of the plate. Immediately inward of the ear 10 the plate is integrally formed with another curtain rod supporting ear 11 which lies within the plane of the plate and projects outward at a right angle from the edge 8. Each ear is formed with a straight, elongated aperture 12 for receiving an end of the curtain rodl, and with a curved entrance slot or throat 13 leading from the outer end of the ear obliquely inward to an intermediate point in the length of said aperture. 7 i

The slide 5 is also formed. of a single sheet metal blank elongated transversely of the plate 4. Said blank is shaped to form straight, parallel side margins 14 which are slidably fitted and retained in the guides 9, and between and beyond said margins the blank is outwardly bowed to form a substantially semi-tubular spring housing 15 extending longitudinally of the. slide. The ends of are widened and integrally formed with rearwardly bent, hook-like bars 16 opposed to the barbs 7 and disposed outwardly of the edge 8. Longitudinally disposed within the housing 15 is a coiled tension spring 17. One end of said spring is anchored in an aperture 18 formed in the plate 4 near the flanged edge of the latter and the opposite end of the spring is anchored to an inwardly bent.

ear 19 formed upon the spring housing 15 and serving as a closure for the outer end of the housing. The spring tends to pull the slide inward across the base plate and move the barbs 16 toward the barbs 7. Thereby, resilient gripping means are formed for releasably attaching the bracket to portions or" a window structure varying in width. The spring housing extends materially outward and forms a free handle which may be conveniently grasped and pulled for expanding the gripping means. This facilitates the tachment and detachment of the bracket. Contraction of the gripping means under the influence of the spring islimited by contact of the shanks of the barbs 16 with the edge 8 of the base plate. 5

The curtain rod 1 is of a standard type and comprises a pair of telescoping sections 20 and 21 each formed of sheet metal and having hook-like longitudinal flanges, the flanges of one rod section telescoping within those of the other section. Secured to the outer end of each section is a flat tongue 22 notched at its opposite edges to form areduc-ed neck portion 23. The width of the neck portion is less than the length of the aperture 12 of either of the bracket ears 10- or 11 while the width of the unnotched portions of the tongue is greater than the length oi aperture 12.

" When a bracket is in operative position one or the other of its ears is disposed so that the length of the aperture is vertical and the'en' trance throat 13 inclines downward and inward to the aperture. One of the neck portions 23 of the rod is inserted through said throat and into the aperture where it is positively anchored against endwise displacement and safely retained from dropping forward out of the aperture. lVhen a curtain suspended from the rod is swung inward away from the window by the wind the rod will be rocked slightly about the lower edge of each neck portion engaged in an aperture 12 and swung back against the rear edge of the aperture. The rod is thereby safely held against displacement by the wind. At the same time it may be easily removed from the brackets by rocking it forward and with drawing its neck portions upward and outward through the oblique throats 13 p In Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the curtain support is shown as mounted upon the top rail R of a lower window sash S so that the curtain will travel up and down with the sash. The brackets 2 and 3 are attached to the sash rail R by grasping the handle of each formed by the projecting end of the spring housing 15, engaging the barbs 7 with the upper surface of the rail, pulling the handle to expand the bracket, and snap-ping the barbs 16 into engagement with the underside of the rail. When the brackets are thus applied to the sash rail the ears 10 are disposed in operative position for supporting the curtain rod.

When it is preferred to support the curtain so that it will not move with the sash, the brackets are attached to the fixed sashguiding and retaining strips or rails G at opposite sides of the window. For this mounting of the brackets their positions are reversed from right to leftacross the window, the bracket 2 being mounted at the right hand side ofthe. window and the bracket 3 at the left hand side. by grasping its handle, engaging the barbs 7 with the inner side of the guide strip G, pulling the handle to expand the bracket, and snapping the barbs 16 into engagement with the outer side of the guide strip, The bracket is then in the position shown in Fig. 8 and its ear 11 is disposed in operative position for supporting the curtain rod. There is invariably suflicientclearance between the guide strip G and the sash S so that the sash can slideup' and down freely without ob:- struction from the flange 6 and the barbs 7. The brackets are readily removablefrom either the guide strip G or the sash rail R by merely grasping the handle and pulling it to free the barbs.

It will be seen that the brackets are compact, inconspicuous and easily manipulated and that they are designed for satisfact rily supporting a curtain rod in either a sta ionary position upon a window frame or for TQQVlD up down with a window sash.

What I claim is:

1. A curtain rod bracket comprising a pair of bracket members held together fer relative shitting one upon the other; redsupporting means carried by one of said members; opposed gripping means carried by said bracket members and expansible and con'tractib l'e by relative shifting of the bracket members for engaging and relea. ably gripping a portion of a window structure; a spring connected to the bracket members and tendingto contract the gripping means; and an elongated housing for said spring carried by one of the bracket members and extending therefrom to forma handle for expanding the gripping means.

2. As an article of manufacture, a curtain rod bracket comprising a sheet metal plate integrally formed with a pair of curtain rod supporting ears disposed at a right angle to each other, integrally formed with slide-retaining guides, and integrally formed with an attaching barb; a sheet metal slide mount- Eaeh bracket is attached ed upon said plate, slidably retained by said guides, integrally formed with a barb opposed to said barb upon the plate and integrally formed with an elongated spring housing extending beyond one end of the slide and forming a handle for shifting the slide; and a spring in said housing, connected to said plate and slide and tending to shift the latter'for moving its barb toward the plate barb for releasably gripping a window structure.

3. As an article of manufacture, a curtain rod bracket comprising a body; expansible gripping means comprising a pair of opposed jaws carried by said body and mounted for relative shifting toward and from each other substantially in a plane for releasably attaching the bracket to either a vertical rail or a horizontal rail of a window structure; a spring connected to said aws and tending to contract them; a curtain rod supporting ear carried by said body and extending there-- from substantially at a right angle to the plane of jaw shift for supporting a curtain rod when the bracket is mounted upon a horizontal rail; and a curtain rod supporting ear carried by said body and extending therefrom in the direction of jaw expansion for supporting a curtain rod when the'bracket is mounted upon a vertical rail.

4. As an article of manufacture, a curtain rod bracket comprising a body; expansible gripping means comprising a pair of opposed jaws carried by said body and mounted for relative shifting toward and from each other substantially in a plane for releasably attaching the bracket to either a vertical rail or a horizontal rail of a window structure; a curtain rod supporting ear carried by said body at one, side of said gripping means and extending from the body substantially at a right angle to the plane of jaw shift for supporting a curtain rod when p the bracket is mounted upon a horizontal rail; and a curtain rod supporting ear carried by said body at the same side of said gripping means as said first ear and extending therefrom in the direction of jaw expansion and beyond one of the jaws, for supporting a curtain rod when the bracket is mounted upon a vertical rail.

5. As an article of manufacture, a unitary curtain rod bracket comprising gripping means including a pair of opposed jaws; means connecting said jaws and permitting them to shift relatively toward and from each other substantially in a plane for releasable attachment to either a vertical rail or a horizontal rail of a window structure; a curtain rod supporting ear extending substantially at a right angle from said plane, of jaw shift and disposed substantially in a plane parallel to the direction of jaw shift for supporting a curtain rod when the bracket is attached to a horizontal rail; and a curtain rod supporting ear disposed in a plane substantially at a right angle to the first ear for supporting the rod when the bracket is attached to a vertical rail.

6. As an article of manufacture, a curtain rod bracket comprising a substantially fiat body; gripping means carried by said body comprising a pair of opposed, expansible jaws for releasably attaching the bracket to either a vertical window rail or a horizontal window rail; a spring connected to said aws and tending to contract them; a curtain rod supporting ear carried by said body at one. side of the gripping means and extending substantially at a right angle from the plane of the body; another curtain rod supporting ear carried by said body disposed in or substantially in the plane of the body, extending therefrom in the direction of jaw expansion and located between the gripping means and the other ear, one of said ears being operative when the bracket is mounted upon a vertical window rail and theother being operative when the bracket is mounted upon a horizontal window rail.

7. As an article of manufacture, a curtain rod bracket comprising a body; gripping means comprising opposed jaws carried by said body to shift relatively toward and from each other for releasably attaching the bracket to either a horizontal rail or a vertical rail of a window structure; a curtain rod supporting member carried by said body at one side of said gripping means and disposed for supporting the curtain rod when the bracket is attached to a vertical rail of a window frame; and another curtain rod supporting member carried by said body at the same side of the gripping means as the first member and disposed substantially at a right angle to the first member to support the curtain rod when the bracket is attached to a horizontal rail of the window structure.

8. A curtain, rod bracket comprising a body a pair of opposed, relatively shiftable gripping aws carried by said body for re leasably attaching the bracket to a window rail; a spring connected to said jaws and tending to contract them; a curtain rod supporting member carried by the bracket;and a handle carried by one of the jaws and extending beyond it in the direction of jaw expansion for grasping and expanding the jaws against the spring resistance.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature. 7

RICHARD C. VOGT. 

